Continuous process of producing nitrogenous compounds of aluminum.



@FFKQEJ I PAUL RALPH EERSHIMAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO ARMOUR FERTILIZER WORKS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

CONTINUOUS PROCESS OF PRODUCING NITROGENOUS COMPOUNDS OF 1,188,770. No Drawing To all whom it may concern:-

Be it known that I, PAUL RALPH HnnsH- MAN, a citizen of Austria-Hungary, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Continuous Processes of Producing Nitrogenous Compounds of Aluminum, of which the following is a specification.

It is a well-known fact that aluminum oxid when mixed with carbon and heated at high temperatures in acurrent of air or nitrogen, combines with the nitrogen only slowly and incompletely.

The leading purpose of the present invention is the provision of a process in the carrying out of which the nitrogen will be taken up quite rapidly and the amount combined largely increased.

The preferred manner of carrying out this process is substantially as follows: A

mixture of approximately sixparts by weight of aluminum om'd, substantially one part by weight of calcium oxid, and approximately fourparts b weight of carbonaceous matter, which y decomposition forms minutely divided carbon, is heated in the presence of nitrogen to substantially 1700 to 1800 centigrade, preferably in an electric resistance furnace.- The addition of .the calcium oxid serves to destroy or eliminate the carbon monoxid formed in the process, the presence of which is quite detrimental to the formation of the desired nitrogenous'compounds.

Stated differently, the presence of the carbon monoxid tends to reconvert at lower I temperatures the nitrogenous compounds of aluminum into aluminum oxid or carbid, and it is to prevent such reactlon that the cal cium oxid is used. I have also found that r it is of advantage to add a small amount,

say one-tenth tonne per cent. of a catalytic agent, preferably one capable ofcombining with nitrogen, such as boron, or titanium, or any of their compounds susceptible to reduction by carbon. Calcium carbid is formed at the beginning of the procem, but at the higher temperatures reached it is reconverted into calcium oxid by the carbon 'monoxid evolved, as expresed in this formula:

C0+GAG,=0A0+3C. Ta CH, as a type of carbonaceous Specification of Letters Patent.

-1700 to 1800 centigrade', in the Patented June 27, 1916.

- Application filed November 25, 1913. Serial No. 803,008.

matter and AlN as a type of nitrogenous aluminum compound, the main reaction is expressed as follows:

compounds of aluminum, consisting in heating in the presence of nitrogen, a mixture of aluminum oxid, a reducing agent, and an ingredient capable of reacting with the carbon monoxid formed, substantially as described.

2. The method of forming nitrogenous compounds of aluminum, which consists in heatingin the presence of nitrogen, at a temperature of approximately 17 00 to 1800 centigrade, a mixture of aluminum oxid, carbonaceous material, and an ingredient capable of reacting with the carbon monoxid formed, substantially as described.

3. The method of forming nitrogenous compounds of aluminum, whichconsists in heating in the presence of nitrogen, a mix.- ture of aluminum oxid, carbonaceous material, a catalytic agent capable of combining with nitrogen, and an ingredient capable of reacting with the carbon monoxid formed, substantially as described.

4.. The method of producing nitrogenous" compounds of aluminum, which consists in heating at a temperature of substantially resence of nitrogen, a mixture of substantially six parts of aluminum oxid, four parts of carbonaceous matter, one part of calcium oxid,

. and a small amount of a catalytic agent, substantially as described.

' n11 PAUL a t:

-Witnessesb v v Gno. '1. Dana, 

